Games To Beat In A Day – Shovel Knight

Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight lends itself to a breezy single-day jaunt through the various castles, airships, and towers that make up the homage-laced platformer. Shades of DuckTales and Mega Man run throughout, and the title can be played through with little difficulty in a single session during a long afternoon or extended evening. There’s plenty of side exploration, new game+, and cool things for players looking for more, but the base game shouldn’t take more than a sit down or two.

Shovel Knight’s Mega Man-esque levels and Super Mario 3 overworld create an interesting blend of challenges, with a flexible sort of optional difficulty via reward checkpoints. If you’re having trouble with any given level, work your way through by trial and error making sure to snag each conveniently located checkpoint. If you’re feeling a bit more audacious, you can choose to smash the checkpoints for additional rewards, but that will make errors much more punishing.

If you’re looking to relax and just take in all that Shovel Knight has to offer in the most casual sense, pick up the Phase Amulet (an early game item you’ll get by default), max your mana pool, and pickup the armor that negates knockback. Using these items in tandem will allow you to simply stand inside any given boss and swing away without penalty, letting you cruise through the game while enjoying all the delicious throwback scenery and style.

Shovel Knight is a great game to enjoy on a lazy afternoon and just bask in the retro glory. Pour a tall glass of ginger beer on ice and shovel away! Check out our review here.

To read more about games you can beat in a day, check back at our hub over the course of the day.